According to the latest report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, tablet shipments all across the globe are expected to hit 221.3 million units by the end of 2013, slightly lower from the original forecast of 227.4 million. Even so, this quantity is 53.5% more than the shipments in 2012. In the succeeding years, forecast on growth is projected to decline to 22.2% year after year until its annual market growth plummets to a single-digit percentage in 2017.
Tablets can be classified into two major groups according to their display size. Nowadays, you can choose between the 7-inchers and those that pack a 10-inch screen. As far as the figures are concerned, the market has trended toward small tablets over the last 24 months. But starting when the phablets were introduced onto the market, they have been much more favored by consumers no matter how ridiculous the device looked initially. The slight difference in screen size of 7-inch tablets and 6-inch phones makes consumers who own the latter less likely to purchase the former. This however can spark a brand new interest to their bigger counterparts, but it’s a fact that the smaller tablets are more compact and relatively cheaper than the 10-inchers.
Due to this forecast, there came some rumors that Apple and Samsung are planning to release tablets that measure at least 12 inches diagonally. In fact, a 12-inch Galaxy Note is expected to be hitting the shelves of stores sometime in the future. On the other hand, Apple will be launching a 12.9-inch iPad in 2014. But as we all know, nothing is certain till there’s already hard evidence.